Diagnostic Value of Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Infants’ Brain Development Retardation Caused by Pre-Eclampsia

Abstract

Objective. Pre-eclampsia (PE) can cause brain development delay in infants. This work aims to characterize the pattern differences of brain white matter development in premature infants under PE conditions and those without. Methods. Eighty preterm infants delivered by women with PE were selected as the PE group, and ninety-six preterm infants of the same period born to women without high-risk perinatal factors were used as control. All infants underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) examination. The fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in five regions of interests (ROIs), including posterior limbs of internal capsule (PLIC), splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC), superior frontal gyrus (SFG), superior parietal lobule (SPL), and superior occipital gyrus (SOG). The relationship between the FA values and postmenstrual age (PMA) was analyzed. Results. After adjusting for the birth weight and gestational ages, in the SCC and PLIC, the PMA and FA values showed a low-to-medium intensity positive correlation in the control group (r = 0.30, p = 0.003 ; r = 0.53, p < 0.0001 ), while no positive relevance was detected in the PE group (r = 0.08, p = 0.47 ; r = 0.19, p < 0.08 ). In the PE and control groups, in the SPL and SOG, the PMA and FA values showed a near-consistent positive correlation (r = 0.57, r = 0.55 vs. r = 0.31, r = 0.55; all p < 0.05 ). In the control group, in SFG, the PMA and FA values had a medium intensity positive correlation (r = 0.47, p < 0.0001 ), but there was no statistical difference in correlation in PE (r = 0.10, p = 0.39 ). Conclusion. PE may cause lagging brain development in the SCC, PLIC, and SFG during infancy. DTI may be an effective and sensitive detection tool.

Association of Corpus Callosum Development With Fetal Growth Restriction and Maternal Preeclampsia or Gestational Hypertension

“…A brain imaging study using diffusion tensor imaging provided the first report of lower fractional anisotropy values from the splenium region in premature infants whose mothers had PE, thus indicating that PE might be a factor in a neurodevelopmental delay of the brain microstructure in the CC, especially in the splenium region. 24 It is unknown whether or to what extent the microstructural alterations occur in the CC of fetuses with FGR in pregnancies with PE or GH. Using diffusion MRI, we identified reduced ADC values in the anterior third region and the splenium region of the fetal CC in the PE or GH with FGR group when compared with the 2 control groups.…”

“…12 Exposure of infants to PE has been associated with significant retardation in the microstructural development of the white matter in the splenium region. 24 There was evidence that perinatal composite outcomes were increasingly used to evaluate the neonatal prognosis. 13,26 In a multicenter prospective study of extremely preterm infants, adverse perinatal outcomes (including necrotizing enterocolitis, infection, and intracranial hemorrhage) were associated with a range of high-risk neurodevelopmental impairment assessed at the 2-year follow-up visit.…”

“…Arthurs et al demonstrated that, in fetuses with severe FGR, ADC values in the frontal white matter, thalami, and centrum semiovale were significantly lower than in control fetuses. A brain imaging study using diffusion tensor imaging provided the first report of lower fractional anisotropy values from the splenium region in premature infants whose mothers had PE, thus indicating that PE might be a factor in a neurodevelopmental delay of the brain microstructure in the CC, especially in the splenium region . It is unknown whether or to what extent the microstructural alterations occur in the CC of fetuses with FGR in pregnancies with PE or GH.…”

Maternal pre-eclampsia serum increases neurite growth and mitochondrial function through a potential IL-6-dependent mechanism in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells

“…This includes an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability (ID) ( Maher et al, 2018 ; Sun et al, 2020 ; Greca et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021 ). In addition, recent neuroimaging studies have revealed alterations in brain structure, function and metabolites of children prenatally exposed to PE ( Rätsep et al, 2016 ; Figueiró-Filho et al, 2017 ; Mak et al, 2018 ; Katsuki et al, 2021 ; Xing et al, 2021 ).…”

Elevated IL-6 in Pre-Eclampsia Increases Neurite Growth and Mitochondrial Respiration in an in vitro Model of Neuronal Development

“…This includes an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and intellectual disability (ID) [6][7][8][9]. In addition, recent neuroimaging studies have revealed alterations in brain structure, function and metabolites of children prenatally exposed to PE [10][11][12][13][14].…”